Twisted
by Raegun
Summary: A little while after the game, Neku reunites with Joshua to tie up loose ends, but then everything twists out of control, leaving Neku with more problems than he ever dreamed of. -Contains Slash! Josh/Neku -


A/N: My first TWEWY fic~ I'm sorry this chapter is so short. Each chapter will be on the short side so I'm not toooo daunted to updated. This was beta'd by my friend Aisha. I can't do this without her. =)  
I hope whoever reads it likes it. The story will pick up pace later, no worries. X3

Don't forget to leave a little message if you read.... Please.

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Two months: a total of eight weeks or fifty-six days. That was how long Neku Sakuraba had been out of the UG and free from the game. His quality of life had been increased tenfold. Guided by the words of CAT, Neku now knew the true meaning of living each day to the fullest. He had already experienced death, after all, and it didn't sit well with him. He had friends now too. They met every single Sunday without fail and did all kinds of things together. Beat took great pride in showing off his skill with a skateboard, Shiki introduced everyone to Eri, and Neku even took his friends on a tour of the Udagawa backstreets. Still, there were pieces missing. Neku didn't want to think about it. Thinking about _him_ would open up a can of worms Neku didn't want to deal with until long from now. Truth was, Neku was still recovering from being...well...dead.

Immediately after the game had ended for the third and final time for Neku, he woke up in his room. He was lying flat on his bed and the small television in his room was turned on.

"_... And in other news, the strange haze that has covered the youth of Shibuya-ku has begun to dissipate. The bizarre phrase everyone on the street has been repeating hasn't been heard for over an hour..."_

Neku groped around for the remote, finding it on his bedside table. He turned the television off and sighed, sitting up. This was so surreal. Suddenly everything was normal again. Being in his own room was alien after summoning fire, bullets and barbed wire chains from thin air. Perhaps then again, it was a dream. The calender on his closet door had three weeks crossed off, showing that a month had wasn't a dream then. Neku suddenly realized had had something in his hand. He opened his hand to find his player pin, split in two and no longer functional. A quick search through his pockets revealed the rest of his pins, now good for nothing but Tin Pin Slammer.

And then his mother called him down for dinner as if he had never died at all. Neku discovered later that everyone he knew before had their memories modified so it _was_ like he never died, but Neku remembered it all. Lately, he had wished that he didn't.

He really trusted him, _dammit._

_

* * *

_

Neku and Shiki were leaving the 104 building, weighed down with bags. Neku had really developed an appreciation for style after talking with Shiki and Eri for so long. Before, Neku dismissed clothing as something only girls really worried about, but lately he supposed it was part of living in Shibuya; taking risks and trying something new. Shiki even dragged him off to Harajuku with Rhyme one weekend. It was weird going beyond the Shibuya ward's limits for once. Harajuku was like Shibuya's evil twin with Laforet instead of 104. Neku absently wondered what kind of composer Harajuku had, but then decided he really didn't want to know. That place was so weird.

"Neku, today was really fun." Shiki beamed, adjusting her grip on a bag of D+B clothing. "You've really changed for the better, and it's not just me who thinks that."

"Really?" Neku said absent-mindedly, glancing at Shiki. He grinned a bit, but it felt fake. This was getting to be a drag, this nagging feeling in the back of his mind. It had been worse for the past few days. As much as he hated to admit it, he _missed_ him, but things got so confusing in the end of the game, that Neku got choked up when he thought about him. Some days he caught himself thinking of things to say if he ever ran into....Joshua again.

Neku looked down quickly. He was quiet until they reached the scramble. Shiki knew something was wrong, but she didn't say a word, knowing that Neku needed his space. Once they reached the very middle of the scramble, a CAT ad began to play from the View, accompanied by a loud sample track from the artist's newest single. Neku wanted to punch something. He loved CAT's creations, but it couldn't have come at a worse time. This song was called "The Urban Composer" after all.

"Neku," Shiki began, " please keep moving. You're blocking everyone's way."

The brunette was staring at the smog-obscured sky. _No,no,no,no!_ his mind chanted. He'd had enough. He wanted to see him. Now. To settle this. _Joshua!_ Neku screamed mentally. He looked down at his feet, shaking. Shiki gently placed a hand on his forearm. Neku nodded and they continued on, back to their respective homes.

Neku's family's flat was completely empty when he arrived home. He was so frustrated with himself for giving in like this. There's was probably no way he'd see Joshua _ever_ again and even if he did, what would he do? Scream? Cry? Beg for an explanation and apology? He had no right to. He was living in the Composer's world and if the ruler of his world didn't wanna say sorry, he wouldn't. No. That wasn't right.

"I rule my own world!" Neku shouted at the mirror in the front hallway. There. Now he felt better. Sighing, he headed upstairs to his room with his shopping bags. The walls of Neku's room were covered in CAT posters and other bands' posters. Neku loved music more than anything. He dropped his bags and opened his closet door to put them away. Then he froze. _What. The. Hell._

It wasn't that someone had gone through his closet and left it a mess, but the fact that someone was _in_ his closet. And it wasn't just anyone, it was the brat who fucked up Neku's life in the first place. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Neku was shocked and Joshua very, very amused.

"Aren't you going to say hello, Neku?" Joshua said finally, pushing silver-blonde fringe out of his eyes. "That's very rude, y'know. I'm a very busy guy. I don't have time to just visit anyone wh--"

"Why...?" Neku interrupted, his eyes wide.

"Why what?" Joshua replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Where do I start?" Neku snapped. "Why are you in my closet, for one?"

"I'm here because you called me, Neku. I was really pleasantly surprised by the request too." Joshua smirked. He pushed past Neku and sat on the brunette's bed, taking a look around.

"Also, I don't think you'd like it if I appeared suddenly out of thin air. This is a nice room you've got, by the way."

Neku clenched his hands, staring at the floor. What was there to say now?

"I..." he started, not looking up. "I'm going crazy because of you. All that... I... You said you were playing the game because you were bored. Not only that, but you said you were alive with a whole life ahead of you. And then after that fight with Pi Face, you jumped in front of me and you basically erased yourself for a complete stranger! That's how I saw it anyway... And then I find out not only are you still alive, but you're the Composer! And then I wake up here right after without any chance to patch things up. Do you have any clue what I've been stewing over for the past two months? You must know! I feel like a complete wreck! You were my friend! I thought you killed yourself for me! I--"

Neku didn't even realize he was shouting until Joshua shushed him. For once, he looked serious.

"Neku, if you want me to, I could rearrange your memories. You'd forget I'm the Composer and you'd think I'm still dead. Is that what you want? I'm willing to give it to you."

Neku firmly shook his head. He felt choked up again. "I missed you. You're my friend." he mumbled. Joshua nodded, a grin returning to his face.

"Not only that," Neku continued, sitting on the floor near Joshua, "but I thought out of everybody that you got me the most. I mean, I get why you killed me now. But I'm alive now and Shibuya is safe, so I... I want to try to forgive you now. I don't want to hold on to all this negative shit. So you first."

"Me what?" Joshua said playfully. "I'm really flattered you feel this way, Neku. You're such a dear. Hee hee hee."

Neku glared at the boy on his bed. "That little giggle of yours still pisses me off. I want you to apologize for putting me through that. I've had friends die on me before, and it's not nice to go through it more than once."

"Fine, fine. But first I want you to thank me for turning you into a better person. Oh, and giving you friends."

Neku snorted in amusement. Joshua looked confused for a moment.

"It wasn't really you, Joshua. It was Mr. H. He gave me more advice than you ever did. And he's CAT."

"True, but I killed you so you could meet him, so give me credit."

"Whatever. Thanks for killing me, you ass." Neku snapped. He was losing his patience, fast. And _why_ did he want to see Joshua again? Joshua was smirking at him right now, looking very pleased with himself. It pissed him off more than anything, but yet he wanted to hug the boy. Neku didn't want to say that Joshua was right, but life was going much better lately and it _was_ probably because of Joshua.

"And I kept you on your toes." Joshua added. "And I'm sorry for making you think I killed myself and royally fucking with your head. But y'know, you make the best noises when you're flustered."

"I-I do?" Neku stammered, embarrassed. Nobody said anything about it before... Joshua nodded with an absolutely gleeful expression. This is what Neku missed, he realized. This constant conflict was...fun in a way. And Joshua didn't mean any harm, Neku figured. It would probably take a whole lot of caring to sacrifice yourself for somebody, after all.

"So how much did you miss me?" Joshua chided. Neku remained silent. He rose to his feet and shuffled over to Joshua. Without giving it much thought, he wrapped his arms around the Composer's shoulders. He held on for a moment, then tried to pull away, but Joshua grabbed him back and rested his head on Neku's shoulder.

"That much, huh? This must be rare from you, huh Neku?" Joshua teased.

"Shut up. I missed you, you bastard."

"I actually missed you too, Neku. Isn't that shocking?"

"Can you please let go of me now, Josh?" Neku grumbled, pushing at Joshua's arms slightly.

"You're no fun, Neku."

Once released, Neku sat on the bed next to Joshua, looking at the other thoughtfully.

"It's too weird seeing you like this in my room." Neku sighed. "I wish you could've met my friends, Josh. That was my ideal. I wanted to see all of you together because you guys helped me change and you supported me blindly. So, what I'm getting at is I want you around more often, okay?"

"Hee hee hee. Oh, Neku. I've got a job to do. I can't just see you everyday. But, I'll try my best. Hell, I'll stay as long as you want me to today. There's no games for two more months. I decided that the reapers really need a break. Plus, you erased all the talented ones. " Joshua shrugged.

"Alright. You owe me anyway. I still don't totally forgive you though, and I don't know when I will."


End file.
